Corpse Party: Spirit of Justice
by BlitzVonKrieg
Summary: Seven years ago an American student fell victim to Sachiko's curse... but also found a way out that gives him an advantage and not only the ability to save others, but to truly fight back and try to change things. However, Heavenly Host Elementary being what it is always finds a way to shift the odds in favor of the damned. Can our hero shift the balance, or is he doomed to fail?
1. Chapter 1

Corpse Party: Spirit of Justice

Hair slicked back? Check.

_She stole my heart in the trailer park,_

Boots shined and fly of jeans zipped up? Check.

_So I jacked the keys to her fuckin' car,_

Black leather jacket and AC/DC t-shirt? Check.

_Then crashed that piece of shit,_

Rabbit's foot hanging on jacket? Check.

_And stepped away…_

The softly spoken lyrics came from the mouth of one Roy Chordata, a student at the Perris Military Academy of Southern California. The English language was foreign to the halls of this hellish place, but considering his current state it wasn't really English that he was speaking. No, Roy was dead – another victim that had fallen prey to Sachiko's curse; a friend of his having decided that it would be fun to try out the charm. Of course, it was also Roy that had botched it in the first place, so… he wasn't all that broken up about being the one that was left behind here. Especially since… well… this was also after his second time of having gone through this.

The first go around he had actually managed to be one of the survivors. Their group of six had only lost two, thankfully, before figuring out what really needed to be done to escape. Or… so they thought. Apparently, somehow, everyone else had forgotten that they had already gone through this series of events. Somehow… he had been the only person to actually remember what happened. At first he had tried to convince them not to do it all over again, but they wouldn't listen. Then he tried refusing to do it with them. They elected to go ahead with it without him. Then he joined them, knowing that they would end up going through it either way.

Of course, he thought that this time if he did everything right, the charm might actually work. No such luck. It was just the exact same scenario all over again. This time though he had been able to save his cousin Lea… but the foreign exchange student, Amelia McCrery, still died. It wasn't the worst death imaginable really, even she had said so – and after finding out that they would feel the pain of their deaths for all eternity, she had actually given off a spark of that ginger confidence of hers. Even now, when he got to speak with her, she always said that it 'ain't nothin I can't handle'. Strong girl. To think, she'd ended up with her wrists slashed to save him – both times. Her death, even now, he couldn't figure out how to prevent.

So why was he here this time, when before he had survived? Simple. Last time Lea had died, but before she died she'd lost her piece of the paper doll and wouldn't have been able to make it back anyway. This time she had lived… but still didn't have the paper doll scrap. Thus, he had given her his piece, made her take it, so that she could get home with the others. It was almost funny… he had come back this time to try and save two people. Yet, two people still died – just… this time… one was him, instead of someone else.

His death hadn't been quick, either. As fate would so have it, the entire group had been on a camping trip, and had just arrived at their campsite after hiking into the woods… with all their food and water. They'd taken enough provisions to last each of them a week. They all knew that there was no food in this reality, and the only water was what came down as rain, so they had decided to leave enough supplies with Roy to give him at least a month to live, and he made sure that they took enough rations back to be able to get out of the woods and home without going hungry. He also made sure that they each would have messages on their phones to warn them against the Sachiko Charm, lest they forget this time too.

He had a theory though… and it was this: the only reason they had forgotten the first time, when he had survived, was that he was meant to die here. That's why it had all restarted on the same day, and the same events had transpired. He'd beaten fate in a sense by saving Lea, but in doing that, his own fate had been assured as he had no way to return home. The cruelest irony had arisen though upon his return to the infirmary. After the others had left, the separated closed spaces had united into one… and upon the desk in the infirmary he had found both Amelia's _and_ Lea's paper doll fragments. Just laying there on the table, as if Sachiko were enjoying the fact that both those scraps could have sent him home.

Were it Sachiko's doing, he was sure that she had realized a couple of times by now that he'd had wondrous opportunities to fuck over her plan of torment. There were various groups of friends that had come through here since his own had left, and he'd helped all those that he could, in any way that he could. He and his friend James had watched a bit too much TV and read a bit too much folklore for their own good, and had fancied themselves "Hunters"… this really was just a way to say that they knew how to combat the forces of supernatural evil.

Vampires, werewolves, zombies, poltergeists, vengeful spirits, demons, ghouls, windigos, skinwalkers, shapeshifters, witches, and a host of other paranormal belligerents were on their list of things that they could combat. They had actually been able to apply some of that knowledge to this place, which had surprised everyone – including themselves. Considering that it was cut off from Heaven and Hell, no amount of faith in God could help them, and crucifixes and the like had not had any effect whatsoever. Yet somehow… salt, fire, iron, and – of all things – pentagrams had been successful tools. It was a good feeling to know that this place wasn't entirely hopeless. With proper knowledge and tools… you really could fight back.

Needless to say though, despite saving quite a few lives… in time, nature had run its course. He'd eventually gotten down to his last meal and his last two bottles of water. He was finished… kaput… _done_ in the most final of ways, and he knew it. Thus, he'd eaten his last meal, waited for a time when it was quiet, when no tremors ran through the school, drew a new protective circle around his cot (in a classroom that he had claimed for himself)… and decided to overdose on sleeping pills. When he'd 'woken up' from his death, he was surprised to find himself in his own spectral body instead of some little blue flame.

Apparently, at least according to other spirits here, he'd lived in this place long enough that it came to recognize his form. He'd stayed here, alive, long enough to bond with this place to some extent, and having done good deeds while here he was thusly rewarded… Perhaps not with life, but with form, and in here? That was a hell of a gift, when most spirits were only little blue or red flames. That was already seven years ago.

Over the course of those seven years, he had fought spectral tooth and nail to save as many people as he could from being stuck in this hell. He'd also figured out how to move between the closed spaces just like Sachiko, Yuki, and the other two… gutless boy and headless girl. Whatever their names were. It was almost funny how laughably easy it now was to move from space to space. You just had to will yourself to, at least as a spirit with form. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy for mortals. They had to wait for the spaces to collide and shift, hence the 'earthquakes' that were experienced so often.

He'd also had the revelation that he felt no pain, and had to laugh. The only real punishment for dying here was that you would feel the pain that you died with. He hadn't had any. His body had simply shut off in his sleep, and that was that. He'd passed away without so much as an ache… a feat that was unheard of in this place.

His one real complaint about being here for all eternity was that, unless he was saving people… this place was actually pretty boring. It was an elementary school. Sure, yeah, there were some books in the library… some that honestly should have been at a high school or a university probably… but other than that there wasn't much to do. Hell, he'd even talked to Yuki a few times just to not have to deal with that. Turned out that she wasn't evil at all… when there was nobody else here. When the school lacked mortals she was a nice girl.

It was through her that he learned of the Kisuragi Academy students that had managed to put the original Sachiko to rest, the tale of what had caused this place to come into being, and the fact that the current Sachiko was nothing more or less than a shadow of the original. She had been created by the school, an entity to act like a central core while mortals were present, and then she essentially shut off (or at least went into sleep mode) when it was just the spirits of the untimely deceased. It was comforting to know that these three kids really weren't evil at their core. They were just victims like everyone else… even little Sachiko had been a victim originally. It was truly sad to think that everyone here was really being punished thanks to the actions of one man.

The principal – or "Take-_whateverthefuck_" as Roy called him whenever he tried saying his actual name – had been the cause of it all. He had tried to rape Sachiko's mother, might have even done so, and Sachiko had witnessed it. He had killed them both. He was the first one to kill anyone, and the last to die when Heavenly Host Elementary was still standing. Worse, the bastard hadn't even gotten offed by someone else. No… he got to take his own life. Only… now he relived it almost constantly. Or… he _had_ gotten to relive it, until Roy learned about this.

The tale of the principal had been the only thing to truly set him off, aside from learning what had been done to Yuki and the other two children. You see, there were few things that could make Roy's blood boil. The chief three were _Murder of the Innocent_, _Abuse of the Innocent_, and _Rape of the Innocent_. If those things happened to a death row inmate or some such, he didn't give a damn, but if they happened to someone that hadn't done anything to deserve it? That's when the fire got lit under his ass. Of course, here it had shown through in his aura. Hearing about that from Yuki was the only thing that had been able to change the aura of his spectral form from a cyan color to a raging crimson. It had lasted only a minute or so as Yuki told the tale, but she had snapped him out of it before he could get stuck that way.

He wasn't about to let the principal just get away with this though. No. As far as he was concerned, reliving such an easy death was hardly a punishment for the man. He'd jumped from the roof and died on impact. So what? That meant that he had an instantaneous death. Hardly a punishment in this place. There was no pain to attribute to that. He was just reliving jumping off the top of a building over and over again. Big deal! Of course, that was his death. How could he hope to change that? But again… he _had_ changed fate once already.

Deciding that it was time to give the principal a real punishment, Roy had made his spectral way to the roof and watched for a few minutes as the scene of the principal jumping replayed before him time and time again. Then he had tried to get in the principal's way, and was actually a little surprised to see that there was an effect. At first the principal had stopped, as if waiting for him to move, and then he had just gone around him and gotten on his proper route to the edge. The next time, he tested to see if he could actually touch the other spirit… and sure enough, he could. Then it was time for the third test – to see if he could actually alter the principal at all.

Hands in his pockets as the principal made his way onto the roof, he slipped his fingers into the brass knuckles that James had left in his pack. He'd had them on his person when he died as well, so he now had a spectral version of them (he was much better with a sword, a bow, or hell… a _gun_… but hand to hand was all he had here… and it was effective). Standing near the edge, he waited for the principal to get within striking distance… and then quickly pulled his hand from his pocket and punched the principal right in the teeth. That one put him down, but his aura flared red. Before he could do anything to retaliate though, Roy grabbed him by the shirt and decided to use his 'reset button' – by throwing him off the roof.

A minute later he was back, and had returned to the normal bluish hue that surrounded him, just like some drone that was pre-programmed. However, the earlier reaction said differently. Hurting him had caused anger, and anger was only present with those that could think, and if he could think, then he could truly be punished. Moving out of the way so that the cycle could resume for a while without interference, he made his way around the school, until he found a long garden hose meant for use out in the grounds around the school. That in hand, he returned to the roof… making a noose from the green rubber. The next few times after that he watched the principal, timing things, and noting the slightly confused, even worried, look that crossed the principal's face every time he stepped past.

Finally, when he had the timing down, he waited for the principal and the followed right behind him up to the edge. Right before he jumped, Roy quickly slipped the noose around his neck and tightened it. The spectral ne'er do well grabbed at the green rubber on instinct, feeling his airway being constricted despite no longer needing it, and Roy leaned back to bring the noose and the line of hose coming away from it taunt. A kick to the backs of the principal's legs put his feet over the edge, and he let the hose begin sliding slowly through his grasp… lowering the kicking, squirming principal down over the side with a scowl on his face.

Lowering him down the side, he left the principal dangling a mere foot off the ground, kicking and struggling in the pounding rain. _This_ is what he deserved for what he'd done. And now, with no way to 'die' from falling, even if he came loose somehow, he couldn't just reset and start again. No… he'd have to seek out his demise through a school that changed shape continuously, and might never actually reach the roof again for all eternity. Perhaps it was cruel, but Roy had an old west sense of justice, and this was about as close as he could get without an oak tree and a real length of good, strong hemp rope.

Of course, this was a long time ago now. The thought of the principal hanging outside did bring a feeling of some accomplishment to the wandering spirit though. He'd brought a little bit of true justice to this place, and while this was no old west town, and he sure as hell was no sheriff, he'd noticed that some of the spirits that normally didn't talk to him were more… open, now. They were also prone to helping people out more often, and not so prone to become enraged by small slights of the living. The number of survivors had increased, albeit marginally, ever since he had punished the principal. Whether or not this was out of some sort of respect for him, he didn't know, but he was happy that it was going on.

Right now though, the reason for his getting ready to head out of the classroom he was now thinking of as his barracks, was he felt two disturbances. The first was a normal disturbance – the same one that the spirits felt when mortals arrived in their reality, and when the new Sachiko 'woke up'. The 'quakes, the shifting of the buildings' innards, and the general sense of increased doom and gloom throughout this parallel dimension.

The other was something… wrong. Something very basic to his existence here had changed, and he could tell that it most certainly was not for the better. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell what it was from here. He would have to investigate; trace the ripple of unsteady energy back to its source. For a spirit with form, though, that wasn't very difficult. And he already knew that there was something that hadn't been changed – his body hadn't been messed with, so it wasn't really about him so much as something he had done had been changed.

Considering that new victims usually had about half an hour before something went wrong, he decided to play detective first.


	2. Chapter 2

_This time I'm 'a let it all come out _

_This time I'm 'a stand up and shout _

_I'm 'a do things my way _

_It's my way _

_My way, or the highway…_

The eerie sights and sounds of the macabre landscape that Heavenly Host Elementary was comprised of hardly affected Roy after seven years, which both set him at ease and made him cringe. The former was due to the fact that he didn't have to be freaked out by dead bodies and decaying corpses – and thank God he didn't have to smell it anymore, being a ghost now – but the latter was due to the fact that he innately knew that he _should_ be freaked out by it. Or… so western culture would say. In places like the Philippines, it was actually far less common for people to be surprised by a dead body. …Then again, they kinda lived with them. There were whole cities built inside graveyards simply because there was no space anywhere else.

Heavenly Host, being essentially a trans-dimensional meat grinder, basically was the otherworldly equivalent of that. Perhaps worse in many regards, but at its most basic, there was no reason for it to scare someone that was already dead. …Always made him wonder about Shimoda, and why the dead 'gentleman' was such a damned 'fraidy cat, but to each their own. In life he hadn't been a warrior, had probably never held any sort of weapon – unless his family had one that was an heirloom – and if he'd ever gotten in anything resembling a fight the police had probably gotten involved. Now, that's not to say that Shimoda was a wimp… but he kinda was. Despite this, Roy did enjoy the other ghost's company. He and Shimoda actually got along pretty well, all things considered.

Following the source of his… 'frustration'… shall we say, was leading him in an interesting direction – toward the other school building. It had been a while since he'd ventured to the other section for any reason beyond aiding those that somehow found their way into the other half of this accursed school. Yet, that's where the source of this distraction was based at. Stepping through the doors that led into the open air, covered walkway, he listened for a moment to the sound of the rain. It was strange, but even in this place the sound of the rain was comforting to him. A smile even found its way to his lips briefly before he realized that there was something missing here. He couldn't put his finger on what… but there was some sort of noise missing.

Shaking his head, he moved forward toward the other building, but felt the pull begin to veer off to the right, over the railing of the walkway. It was then that he stopped and listened again, and after a moment his eyes widened. He knew what was missing now – the sounds of struggle; the sounds of the principal hanging from the hose. You could always hear the bastard struggling to try and get his fat, would-be-rapist ass down from where he was hung. Hell, half the time you could see him flailing from around the corner… but now there was nothing. Jumping over the railing, he snarled and ran around the corner… only to find the principal gone.

Stranger still, the hose was gone as well. Had he gotten loose the hose should have been hanging over the side of the building – the outside of this place didn't change; only the interior did that. So… the hose should have been dangling down right here, but it was gone. Looking around on the ground, he noted that it wasn't coiled up anywhere after having fallen, either, so it hadn't simply come loose. That's when he noticed something else as well; the imprint of where the principal used to fall was gone now too – and it had stayed in place, even long after the principal was hung there. That was where he was 'destined' to fall. A quick look up and he watched for a moment to see if the principal was about to leap… but nothing happened.

Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Nothing changed at all. No form appeared on the roof ready to jump. Looking back to the ground where the principal usually landed, he felt a chill shoot down his spectral spin; his ectoplasmic blood running cold. Something was very wrong here. The indentation should have still been in the ground, unless somehow fate had been changed and he was no longer damned to jump. But why would that change? It didn't even change when he'd been hung! Fate still said even then that he was going to be damned to jump for all eternity… so what had happened? Where was he now? What was he doing? How did he even get off the hose? Actually, that was the easiest part to figure out. Someone had to have helped him.

Turning toward the building and looking toward the roof, he was about to think about that a bit more… but the sight of a large mess of tangled hose falling toward him blocked that thought process. Thanks to how close the hose already was when he turned, he didn't have a chance to move, and the hose knocked him off balance and onto the ground. Shaking his head and looking up toward the roof, he had just enough time to catch site of a red aura before it moved further toward the center of the roof – likely toward the roof access door. A growl came from Roy and he pushed the hose off, scrambling up to his feet. Whoever did that just now was about to get a beating if it was the last thing that he ever did.

Charging into the second half of the school and making his way to the roof, he stormed his way onto it… only to see that there was nobody there. Now, he knew that there were other ways up here than how he had come, but they were hardly if ever used, and took you well out of your way. The casual pace that the person had left the side of the roof with should have meant that they would either be up here, or pretty close to here on the way down. There was nobody here though, and he hadn't passed anyone on the way up here either… so what the hell had just happened? Someone hoisted the principal all the way back up to the roof and then threw the hose off the side, aiming at him? But who would do it? Hell, why would they do that in the first place?

His fists clenched. This didn't make any sense, even for Heavenly Host – and considering how little sense the shifting school made in the first place, that was really saying something. Shaking his head, he pushed the thoughts of strangeness away. He needed to figure out where the principal had wandered off to, and what might he be doing right now. Normally, had this happened any other time, he would have gone to Yuki for some form of assistance. She'd been here longer and had a better knack for detecting other spirits than he did. That, and being one of the cogs, she could pretty much figure out where anyone was if the need for it arose. Her regular self would likely have wanted to help find this asshole too. Right now though… she was off her nut, and in an incredibly bad way.

That realization made him remember that there were new victims in the school that were going to need help. Thankfully, Yuki wasn't the first ghost that usually showed up. Hell, Sachiko was more prone to showing up than any of the others – most people were just smart enough to run the fuck away from a ghost from another dimension, and thus didn't have to deal with her. At least, not at first. Everyone did eventually, but some had more time than others. Yuki was usually the last to show up, being that she was the most dangerous of the three murdered kids. The headless one would do that to someone else, but… let's face it, you see anything reminiscent of the Headless Horseman, and you can pretty much figure out what they intend to do to you.

Checking his internal clock, he figured that he probably had another ten minutes before he needed to go off to help anyone that was new in the school, so he still had time to try and solve this little crisis before things started getting out of hand. It wasn't likely that the principal would go after kids, assuming that there were no young women, as he'd never done anything to students as far as anyone knew… aside from Sachiko, of course. He didn't really have anything else to do though, did he? Roy was trying to think of some sort of M.O. for this guy when he realized something. According to what Yuki had told him, the principal had killed Sachiko's mother, Yoshie…

He had done that on 'accident' after he attempted to rape her… and Sachiko had seen… that's why he killed the seven year old. After being here, she'd been corrupted and began to manifest as 'the Darkening', and she had been the one to place the curse on the principal's bloodline. That was probably why he had been sentenced to jumping off the roof for all eternity. It was also why his son had lost the ability to speak and fallen under Sachiko's power. If the principal was loose, who would he be the most pissed off at? Yoshi… of course… which meant he was probably headed to find her… and she was almost always in the infirmary if she ever decided to make her presence known.

Those facts in mind, Roy bolted from the roof. He wasn't sure exactly what would happen if the principal and Yoshi ended up in a bout of supernatural fisticuffs, but he knew that the outcome would be far from good. Yoshi would be more powerful in this place, theoretically, considering that she was the first entity to be here… aside perhaps from Shimoda, if anyone could get him to try and fight, and if he counted toward that… but the principal might have the upper hand of sheer shock value to her… and if that were so he might be able to drain her power. Yoshi wasn't exactly innocent of any harm, but she wasn't really responsible either, and if the principal was able to somehow overpower her… there was no telling what that son of a bitch would do – either with the power alone, or to poor Mrs. Shinozaki.

Rushing down to the ground floor, he sprinted to the building's exit and then dashed across the walkway – coming to a halt when he heard a voice behind him.

"You're not going to make it in time, my American friend."

Eyes narrowed, he rounded in place to bite off a retort, but there was nobody there.

"He's already there with her, and he's going to make her pay for that little curse of hers."

Again the voice was behind him, and he turned, and again there was nobody there.

"He's going to do to her in death what he couldn't in life, and there's nothing you can do about it. You're pathetic. Acting like some big-shot just because you got to overdoes on some fucking sleeping pills!" Again and again the voice moved, always behind him, and no matter where he turned, he never saw anyone. "You should have died an agonizing death. You're no hero; you're just some bastard that got lucky and cheated Sachiko's curse! You'll pay just like everyone else, but first he'll get all the power he needs, and he'll make this school into the real hell that it should be! And then you'll burn, American!"

Finally, Roy stopped turning, growling lowly and stalking toward the door… until he heard the voice, and detected the presence of a spirit behind him.

"Going awfully slow, _hero_. Given up on saving that _poor_ woman?"

Whirling around, Roy threw a haymaker toward the source of the voice, figuring he'd at least catch the spirit's jaw, or maybe their teeth, but his eyes went wide when the other spirit blocked the swing with their arm, and then quickly wrapped it around his own. The sight of who it was would have been even more frightening, were it not for the fact that Roy had wanted a shot at this guy for a while now too.

"Kizami…" He snarled, and then groaned as the tall high-schooler pulled his arm up; his elbow beginning to bend in the wrong direction. "…should've figured it would take a prick like you to help a goddamned rapist. Guess I overestimated your already lacking humanity, huh?"

"No, Chordata…" Kizami grinned wickedly, and then drove a fist to his face; the hit would've broken his nose if not for the fact that his spectral body was able to reform damaged, and attached, pieces. "…I didn't help him because I care if he gets revenge or not… I just wanted to see what would happen. Of course… it does give me an opportunity to make sure you get just as good as everyone else that's tortured in this hell. Why should you go unpunished, while we all suffer?"

Roy smirked. "Maybe it's because I'm not a twisted fuck like you. Maybe. Possibly. Plausibly…"

That earned him another punch. "Shut the fuck up." Kizami glowered at the American, then chuckled and let go of his arm, shoving him against the door. "Alright… let's see if you can save her..."

Roy blinked for a couple seconds, standing straight, and looking back at Kizami as if he'd grown a second head. "Really? You want me to go save her? You've got a unique case of not making up your damn mind if you want good done or not, y'know that Kizami?"

"And you have a unique case of not moving your ass when a woman is about to be raped, _hero_." As Roy's eyes widened, Kizami laughed. "What, you think I was just making that up before? Oh no, I wasn't, I can assure you. He's really about to rape her!"

"You sadistic son of a bitch!" Roy normally would have added a physical injury to the insult after hearing something like that, but this time he simply ran. Despite being nothing more than a specter, he could feel the faint beat of a heart within his chest, and that same pounding in his ears that he would have felt in life. Times like this made him really miss his friends, but especially James and his buddy Chien. James had taught Roy to fight hand to hand in high school, and Chien had known him since elementary school and could shoot.

Of course, he missed Lea too; she might as well have been a fucking sniper, and was one of the kindest girls that he'd known – a badass too in her own right. The one person that might have been able to help most here though was probably Commandant Nathaniel Sweet – his school's… well, headmaster… principal… however you wanted to put it in civilian terms, he was the person in charge there, and he'd been with them on that camping trip. He'd been here at Heavenly Host, and he was the reason that as many had survived then as they had. He'd been a Colonel in the US Marine Corps before he was honorably discharged and was given the position of commandant at their school. He was the group's _true_ hero. Without him, everyone probably would have bit the big one.

Now he was alone in this place, with no backup, and the game was changing. No warning, no possible way of him knowing beforehand, but now all of a sudden things were going to hell. …More-so than normal. Running as fast as he could, he came to the infirmary door quickly enough, but when he tried it, it wouldn't budge. He pulled and yanked and shook and pounded it, but it wouldn't move an inch. Finally, he shouted in frustration, and the training that Sweet had given him and his friends years ago for door breeching jumped to the forefront of his mind. As if on reflex, he kicked the door as hard as he could near the locking mechanism and felt a sickening crack… but one that made him grin in triumph as he pushed the door open all the way.

The sight before him rid him of that expression quickly though. There they were, the principal and Mrs. Shinozaki – though the latter was being held up by the former with one hand around her throat. She flailed and screamed, and then fell silent as her mouth opened, and a black mist, smoke-like in appearance, flew from her mouth. The Darkening. Yet, as it left her, it seemed to leave her fully – her body taking on a bluish hue like Roy's, Shimoda's, and the three murdered children. At the same time, that dark cloud flew right down the principal's throat and his skin went, not grey, but black as night. His eyes shone red and his clothes turned shades of crimson… and once it was entirely within him, a guttural roar left his throat.

"Now you little bitch, I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to me… and take what I didn't get from you life…" His large hands held her suspended and struggling, one around her throat as the other began to work the buttons of her blouse open, and Roy couldn't seem to move. It wasn't from a true inability, but rather his mind trying to comprehend exactly what was happening – and what to do. Time was almost up. Those new victims would be running into trouble any moment, and they would need help. But… here was this woman right here that needed help immediately. She was dead, but should that be a write-off? Did he ignore her in order to go make an attempt at saving the living?

No… that wasn't his style.

His thoughts cleared abruptly. This woman needed his help _now_. The living could fend for themselves for a bit and hopefully have no massive turns for the worst for now.

Charging forward, he rushed the principal and tackled him, wrestling him to the ground and causing him to drop Yoshi. Of course, the match lasted only for a short time before the principal grabbed him by his jacket and threw him off and into the wall. Roy wasn't done though, no, not even close. As soon as he hit the floor, he rolled, and then sprang to his feet as the bloated principal began to stand. Running up to him again, he drove a solid strike with his boot into the principal's gut – and then one to the shin to follow up. A third strike then came to the back of the principal's knee and pulled a leg out from under his body, causing him to drop onto his back. He moved to the side, about to kick him in the head, when the principal rolled and kicked him on the side of the knee – hitting the leg that was still planted on the ground.

Off balance, Roy dropped, but he rolled to get to his feet. Unfortunately, the new power afforded to the principal allowed him to turn his form to that same black mist and then reform standing up – much faster than getting back to his feet would have been. Before Roy could get up, the big man grabbed his ankle and pulled him back and up, spinning and then slamming him down onto the desk in the infirmary. He didn't let go though. No, he pulled him and swung him around by his leg again, slinging him into the wall full-tilt. Roy staggered, nearly getting to his feet, but the principal grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and threw him across the room, landing next to Mrs. Shinozaki.

Once more he tried to get up to fight, but froze when he felt a gentle touch to the back of his neck and cheek. Looking to the side, he saw the woman he was trying to save, and though she looked so very sad… she smiled. It was small, so slight that it was hard to see, but she _smiled_ at him. Then in a soft voice, she spoke to him.

"Thank you… for trying to save me…" She gave a slightly bigger smile, though it was still tiny, "…but you need to go… they need you… she needs you… she came back for me… please, save her… help her…" Tears of ectoplasm formed in her eyes, moving down her cheek as she lay next to him. "…Don't let her die here… not over me… not again…"

His hand moved to hers, holding it gently as she held it to his cheek, even as the principal snarled and stalked toward the two of them. "Who…? Who so you want me to help? Who came back here?"

"My daughter… she came back for me… she's here…" Roy blinked, and then his eyes went wide as she finished. "…Sachiko…"

Before Roy could ask any more of her, the principal grabbed him again, and threw him out the door. The door slammed shut, and after a moment… Yoshi screamed.


	3. Chapter 3

_Who's gonna fight for what's right?_

_Who's gonna help us survive?_

_We're in the fight of our lives,_

_And we're not ready to die..._

There were moments in the past when Roy would have taken such an order and followed it to the letter, but something about this instance had him frozen. It was as if his mind couldn't comprehend that someone would willingly go through what Yoshi must have known her fate would be, just to save someone else. But then… that was the love of a parent, wasn't it? The love of a mother, especially… That's what it meant to truly care for someone; to be willing to go through your worst torment, just to save them.

Standing up, he walked over to the door. He wouldn't beat on it, or lash out, or try to kick it in again. He knew that all of that would be useless. Instead, he rest his palms against the door, and then spoke, loudly, to make sure that she could hear.

"Yoshi!" He shouted through the door, "I'll be back for you! I'm going to save everyone, and that means you too! I won't let these bastards win! I swear it!"

"Oh please… get _over_ yourself already." The voice of Kizami made Roy's fists clench against the door, his spectral nails scratching over the wood. "If you're gonna do something, just go fucking do it already. Assuming you can, of course."

Roy's aura slowly began to change as anger washed through him, the cyan slowly turning purple as the red mixed in, but then… suddenly… it reverted completely to blue… and he _laughed_. Kizami glared at him, lips set thinly as his fists began to ball up.

"Do you think I'm funny, you fucking gaijin?"

Roy grinned then and looked at him. "Kizami… just who the hell do ya think I am?"

Kizami, for his part, simply pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know your name isn't fucking Kamina. That's for sure."

"Maybe it's not…" He said, standing straight, "…but I am the guy that's going to save these people. Don't you dare doubt that for a second, you hear?"

Kizami smirked. "Let's see what you've got hero. Prove me wrong, if you've got what it takes." He glanced up and to the side then, as if he heard something. "Oh my, look at that… it looks like Yoshikazu has already found that little bitch. This is going to be over faster than I thought!" A crazed laugh came from the Byakudan student, but was quickly silenced… being that Roy decided that listening to that laugh was about as bad as nails on a chalkboard.

While Kizami lost himself in his own little maniacal fit, Roy stepped forward and drove his fist right into Kizami's jaw. The slightly taller male stumbled back a couple steps and rubbed his jaw, his face betraying the astonishment that he could feel a new pain spring up. It added insult to injury though as he realized that it was nearly the same spot that Kurosaki had hit him. Thinking about his longtime 'friend' made him scowl, though at the same time a small part of him ached. Seven years was a long time to think about one's actions, and while he wasn't exactly remorseful, it did get at him a bit that he'd lost someone that thought well enough of him to want to be his friend.

"I'll deal with you later, Kizami." Roy said, turning to leave, "Once I get things sorted out, it's gonna be you and me. Don't you forget it."

Kizami, for his part, kept quiet. As Roy glanced over his shoulder, he saw Kizami fade into nothingness, and took note of the fact. If he could vanish and appear at will, it could explain that little trick earlier, and would be something to watch for later. Taking an unneeded breath, Roy faced forward and bowed his head, extending his perception beyond that of the five senses. To move between the closed spaces and figure out where someone was, you had to have both willpower and focus, and know just where you wanted to go. There were six new arrivals, he could tell that easily enough, but he needed to find one specifically.

If Yoshie was actually correct, if Sachiko had actually come back here, then she should have some sort of connection to this place, right? She was essentially one of the founders of this realm's existence, so it would make sense. However, being… what, alive? She had to be to travel back here with others, or so he would assume. That meant that she wouldn't be tied as strongly, and maybe not even on a level that he could detect. That left him with a difficult task if he meant to search her out. Luckily, he had a better idea than that.

It could pretty much be assumed that a maniac like Kizami wouldn't be lying when he talked about someone about to be killed, especially if he really believed that there was no way to stop it. It wasn't giving information away; it was gloating. Villains did that. Thus, wherever Sachiko was… Yoshikazu would be as well, and that hammer wielding robot was a lot easier to find than someone whose aura he might not recognize. As soon as he locked on to where he was in which closed space, he willed himself to move there. It took a good deal of energy to do so, but he could at least help.

He phased in a few seconds later, and none too soon either. The classroom was smashed up good; door locked shut as if it were just an extension of the wall covered with a picture. The walls were bashed up, with holes obvious left behind by the inaccurate swings of a sledgehammer. Desks and chairs were smashed to bits, and Yoshikazu had the hammer raised for another strike. However, the girl before him was not a seven year old. In fact, she looked like she might have been just slightly older than he was. Early twenties or so, with long brown hair. Yet… the look in her eyes was authoritative, and then the words she said, even as she looked up at the man before her… who was probably a good half a foot taller than she was…

"Yoshikazu! I said… STOP! Damn it, have you forgotten me so easily?!" He couldn't believe she'd actually said that, not at first, but what stunned him even more was the former teacher's reply to her.

"I… remember… you…" He snarled, "…that's… why… I'm… doing… this…"

The girl's eyes then went wide in terror. "You… you can't… I'm sorry… I didn't even hurt you… please!" Even though she said it, it wasn't hard to tell that she quickly had second thoughts about her words. Perhaps Sachiko hadn't directly hurt him, but it was her actions that had ruined his reputation, and drove him to hang himself. That's why he was even here. Backing away, her shoe caught on a crooked floorboard, and she fell abruptly on her rear, scooting backward on the floor. "Please… I just want to save my mother…"

"Too… late… you deserve… to _die_… like… the rest… of… us…"

As Yoshikazu staggered forward, sledgehammer raised up high and ready for a death blow, Roy finally rushed forward. Grabbing the handle above where the vengeful ghost held it he pulled it back with a quick yank and, as he turned to use leverage and rip it from the other ghost's grasp, he kicked the back of one of his knees to send him to the floor. Hammer in his hands, he jumped back and held it up for Yoshikazu to see as he stood.

"Here boy…" Roy whistled, as if to a dog, "See the hammer? Want the hammer?" he began as he started stepping backward, "Yeah, I bet you want the hammer… don't you?" The growl that came from the other man confirmed that the taunting was working, and as his pace began to pick up, the time for his little plan had come. "Well if you want it, go fetch the hammer you robotic motherfucker!" And with those words said, he threw the sledgehammer down through a large hole in the floor.

Yoshikazu glared at him, and looked about to rush him, but Roy held up a finger. "Uh-uh-uh… wait a minute big guy…" He reached into his jacket pockets then and slipped on the brass knuckles, holding his fists up in a boxing stance. "Alright, now we can… or you can run along and get your hammer. I don't really care either way… but I'll let you in on a secret…" He grinned then. "I got brass knuckles and nothing to lose, so you can come at me without a weapon if you want… but I'm just gonna toss you down that same hole if you try it."

The minion of Heavenly Host regarded the American for a moment before finally turning and heading for the door, sliding it open and leaving. Perhaps he wasn't the brightest bulb, but he was certainly intelligent enough to recognize when there was a real threat to his limited well being. Once he was gone and the door was open, Roy nodded and tucked the brass knuckles back into his pockets, stepping toward the girl on the floor. He tilted his head slightly, looking her over. He'd seen images of Sachiko before, always a little girl in each one, and this girl was already completely grown up. Yet, he could see the similarities. The long hair was present, the facial attributes and similarities to her mother.

"You really _are_ her, aren't you?" He asked her softly. "You're _the_ Sachiko, the real one."

She looked up at him for a moment, still fearful, and then nodded slightly. "Please… I didn't come here to hurt anyone… I swear I didn't… I just want to help my mother… she doesn't deserve to be here… all those years I thought I was making her happy by doing those horrible things to people…" She looked down, bringing her knees to her chest. "I was such a fool…"

"That you were. Truly and completely." The harshness of Roy's voice was both uncharacteristic, and normal for him – at least, normal for moments like this. "You really screwed the pooch, there's no getting around that, but I swear to god, if you break down and cry on me I'm gonna bend you over my knee and give you the spanking of your goddamned life, do I make myself clear, kid?"

Sachiko's head abruptly popped up and she stared at him with wide eyes. "Y-yes sir…"

"Damn right. On your feet!" The order had her scrambling up to stand, and for the briefest of moments she couldn't help but wonder why she was taking this ghost's orders. Somehow, he had the air about him of someone in a command position. She would soon find out why. "My name is Captain Roy Chordata, Commander of Charlie Company, First Battalion of the Perris Military Academy." He leaned in close then. "And I'm the one that's going to be keeping you, and whoever all in the hell were fool enough to come with you, _alive_. You got that, _kid_?"

Sachiko nodded quickly.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"I GOT IT!" She shouted back, and Roy couldn't help but grin.

"Good." He stood straight then and crossed his arms, regarding her for a moment. "Now tell me something… just what the fuck do you plan on doing? Let's face it, you're alive and human, and the only way out of here is that little paper charm that lures everyone in this place. Your mom can't exactly piggyback her way out of here, y'know. She would need a paper scrap of her own… and a body. I… think."

Seeing Roy finally unsure of himself about something, Sachiko regained her composure. "That's not entirely true. I…" She fell quiet for a moment, glancing around to check for other spirits. "…I was going to let her possess me… and that would let her get out. She would just ride me back to the living world, and then she would be free from this place." She glared then and pulled out an ofuda scroll with some kanji scrawled on it. "_Don't get any ideas_. I might not have my powers here back yet, but with Ayumi and Yoshiki's teachings, I know how to defend myself without them."

"Uh-huh…" He nodded slowly, looking at the scroll. "That might work. Maybe. Possibly… but then, crucifixes don't, so… depending on exactly how those are supposed to function, I'm not sure if those will help you out or not." He tilted his head slightly. "I know that pentagrams and spells and certain incantations work. Salt works. Iron works. Fire works. I assume holy water would work too, but you'd have to bring it in already blessed with this place being cut off and all."

Sachiko blinked and looked at him curiously. "How do _you_ know all of this?"

Roy chuckled. "I had a life before I ended up here." He saw her glance down then, and put a finger under her chin so she'd look at him. "Hey. Look. I ended up here _after_ the Kisuragi kids had already been through this place. You were already out of here by then, so don't feel down about my being here." He paused then, catching onto something she had said before. "Wait… Ayumi and Yoshiki… aren't those the names of…?"

She smiled slightly. "Yes. They're the names of two of the Kisuragi Academy students that survived this place and freed me." She paused briefly before continuing. "…The five mortals you're probably detecting the presence of are the five of them. They came with me… mostly thanks to Yuka, and partly Naomi."

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose. "You gotta be kidding me. They came back here… knowing full well what'd be waiting for them here?"

"They did… they want to do the same as me and rescue their fallen friends. Naomi wants to find Seiko, Yuka wants to help Mayu, Ayumi elected to help their teacher, and… well, I suppose Satoshi and Yoshiki didn't like the idea of possession, so to decide who would be letting Sakutaro piggyback on them they played some weird version of Roshambo… that somehow adds in Spock and Lizard. Why, I'm not sure… but… yeah…"

"So… who won?"

"Yoshiki. Satoshi used Spock, and Yoshiki used paper."

Roy shook his head. "Doesn't he know that you _never_ use Spock?"

Sachiko was quiet for a moment, and then spoke slowly. "…Can you explain something to me?" Roy blinked, then shrugged and gave a little nod. "How did an alien and a reptile get involved in Roshambo? I may have been dead for over half a century, but even I know that doesn't make any sense… _at all_!" She flailed her arms a little then.

Roy just laughed. "You've never seen The Big Bang Theory, have you?"

"…I don't watch a lot of television."

"…Then… how do you know who Spock is?"

She was silent for a moment, then grinned a little. "Just because I was crazy at the time doesn't mean I didn't watch some T.V. the last time I had a corporeal form. I was basically still seven."

"Great, now I have the image of you, as a little kid, all zonked out with the crazy, a bowl of sugary cereal, on Saturday morning watching _Star Trek: The Animated Series_."

"How'd you know?" She asked, and Roy's mouth hung open briefly. "What? I said I was seven… it was a cartoon. What do you want from me?"

"I… just… oh good grief…" He facepalmed and shook his head slowly. "Anyway… what's say that you and I just mosey on out of here before hammer boy comes back, huh? I'm rather sure you'd prefer to not be introduced to a sledgehammer face first. Si?"

She nodded. "Si."

Turning to walk toward the door, he paused and turned back to her. "You speak Spanish?"

She monotone. "Everyone on the planet knows what 'Si' means."

"Oh… right… that's true…" He grinned and chuckled a little nervously, "Okay then…" He turned once more, and headed for the door, checking the hall as he reached it. Seeing no other spirits in sight, he glanced back to see her right behind him, and then headed out into the hall. After a moment of walking, he felt a hand holding his arm, and glanced to see her nearly pressed against him, looking around at the horrid scenery that Heavenly Host contained.

"I'd nearly forgotten how awful this place was…" She said softly, "I can only imagine how many of the spirits here want to see me suffer for everything that happened to them." She hung her head, looking to the floor as they walked. "I would deserve it."

"Hey… not everyone hates you." He said softly, moving the arm she held around her shoulders. "I mean… I'm a pretty good example. If I hated you, would I have saved you from Yoshikazu?" He smiled a little. "Also, my friend Amelia wouldn't hate you. Yuki explained to me about what happened to cause all of this, and I told Amelia all about it too."

"Oh no…" She said after a moment, "…Yuki… Kami, save me… _she'll_ kill me… So would Tokiko, or Ryou…"

"No they won't."

"But they _will_! You know what I did to them if she told you everything! They'll never forgive me… They'll rip me apart… tear me to little pieces…"

"_No_… they won't." Roy said firmly, turning to look at her. "I'm not going to let them harm you, Sachiko. You're not the insane little murderer anymore. Satoshi, Naomi, Ayumi, Yoshiki, and Yuka wouldn't be helping you if they thought that you were evil still. They wouldn't have come back with you if they thought you would turn against them. So that means you're back to square one. You're an innocent that's here to save her mother; that's a noble cause, and I'll make sure you get the chance."

Tears welled up in Sachiko's eyes and in an instant her arms wrapped around the specter, holding him tightly. He was surprised, both by the touch, and the fact that she was hugging him, but after a moment he returned it.

"Thank you so much…" She whispered.

"It's no problem…" He smiled. "Now come on… I'll take you somewhere that's safe."


	4. Chapter 4

_When it rains it pours_

_Like summer storms, the skies as grey as leaves._

_The rivers flood the banks and spill into the streets._

_But the people laughed and swore that they'd restore_

_The city piece by piece._

_And then the clouds gave way as if to agree;_

_When it rains it pours._

_It pours…_

"So what's this safe place that you're taking me to anyway?" Sachiko asked as she and Roy walked. She seemed to finally be getting used to being at Heavenly Host again, but still had ahold of Roy's arm. Next to him she felt protected, which was a rarity in this foul place. "From what a recollect, this entire school is just one big death trap. I didn't exactly design in any safe zones back when I was of my nut."

"Oh believe me, I know that. The place I'm taking you is a little something that I carved out. It's a classroom, but I managed to repair the floor for the most part with a hammer, nails that I pulled, and some planks and desktops from around the school. After that I put up just about ever sort of spirit repellent and trap that I could think of. Some of the vengeful souls tried getting in, but never managed to. The heavy hitters like Yuki never bothered so far as I know, though… she did mention not liking being near that room whenever mortals would show up. I guess that means it works, at least partially." Roy explained as they walked. The room wasn't far now, and they had wandered around enough that even if Yoshikazu wanted to hunt them down, he'd have to search them out for some time.

"Roy, can I ask you something about yourself? More specifically something… about your time here?" Sachiko asked quietly as they walked.

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind."

"Why… aren't _you_ a vengeful spirit? I can't imagine you're _happy_ that you died here."

"I didn't die a bad death, and I got to save people before I finally died. I think that makes a difference in it, really. I might have ended up like some of the twisted ones that are around here, if it weren't for that. If I'd died in pain and was tortured for all eternity, maybe I would. Put the screws to anyone and they crack eventually, but… I didn't die in pain."

"You didn't?" Sachiko questioned, blinking. "How did you manage that?"

"Well, ya see, my group was on a camping trip. We'd just graduated from our high school, and we were taking our friend Amelia, a foreign exchange student from Ireland, out to have some fun before she went back home. Lea, my cousin, had been looking at things online and stumbled onto the Sachiko Ever After charm. Hadn't told any of us about it until the day of the trip. Most of us didn't pay any mind to the actual charm itself, but we understood the symbolism and such." He shrugged a bit, "Anyway, long story short, we came here, and the first time Amelia and Lea were the ones that died. The rest of us got out… but the events just replayed themselves… with me being the only one that remembered. The next time, I managed to save Lea… but Amelia died because she saved me. Problem was… she didn't have her piece of the charm, so I made her take mine. Because we still had our gear with us, everyone left most of their food with me, and I stayed behind. Lived for about a month. After my last meal… I overdosed on sleeping pills and that was that. Died in my sleep. Just kinda shut off. No pain… nothin'. Just… done."

"Wow… you found a way out of the eternal pain torment. Not a living way, but… I have to commend you. That took some ingenuity, Roy."

"Not really…" Roy chuckled nervously, "I don't know what I would've done if Lea hadn't forgotten her sleeping pills. Of course, I might've figured something out. I mean… there's always slitting your wrist, or in some other manner draining yourself of blood. It usually doesn't hurt too bad by comparison. Could've poisoned myself with something… there's plenty of stuff that'll kill you and not actually cause physical pain. You just have to be determined to die and smart enough to know what will and won't hurt."

"Kind of a macabre way of looking at a situation, but I see the logic in what you're saying. Better to die on your own terms than letting this place decide in what way you'll find your unfortunate end."

"Yeah, especially with what usually happens to your corpse after you die. It either sits and rots, or of Yoshikazu feels like it, he grabs it and dissects it." He paused for a moment, "And honestly, what the fuck is up with _that_ anyway?"

"That's why you don't see that many ghosts with forms around here, Roy." Sachiko said softly, glancing around – whether she was genuinely on the lookout for other spirits, or if she was just avoiding having to look at him as she spoke, he couldn't tell. "I assume your body has remained untouched, yes?" He nodded, "Well Roy, that's why you have a form. That and living here for a month. Most spirits appear as little flames though because of the state of their bodies, and because Heavenly Host doesn't know what shape they were in life. Spirits with form are more powerful because they're better conductors for otherworldly energies. That's why Yuki, Tokiko, and Ryou are able to be cogs for this place – their form enables them to channel the energy."

"So what about back before '73? How did it work before those three were here?" Roy asked as they resumed walking, "What held it together?"

"Actually, before that it was mostly my mother and myself that held this place together. There were far fewer spirits back then, by comparison, and the form this place took was based mostly on my mother's memories of it. She worked at the school a long time before things went wrong, so she knew just exactly where everything was. …The shifting was actually accidental back then. I was only seven, and since my memories affected it too… well… I wasn't sure where everything was. It didn't start being on purpose until later on, when I figured out I could affect this place on purpose and make things happen. Later, when I really lost my mind entirely… I needed to expand it to hold more souls and make it more of a maze… that's why I needed Yuki, Ryou, and Tokiko. With three vengeful child spirits, this place would warp and shift and never stay the same… and I would be free to do as I wished with it. I suppose you could say it was a coup d'état to take the control away from my mother and have it myself."

"So were you a psychopath, sociopath, or just straight up megalomaniac?"

"…All of the above, maybe?" She shrugged a bit, and Roy just shook his head and chuckled as they came to stand before the room.

Opening the door, he led Sachiko inside, shutting it behind them. A small gasp came from the young woman, but not one from any sort of fright. It was as if she were finally taking a proper breath for the first time since she'd arrived here. When Roy next looked at her, her head was tilted back, and her body seemed to be relaxing – like some sort of burden had been taken off her shoulders.

"You okay, Sachiko?" He asked, stepping over to her.

"I'm fine… great, actually. The feeling of dread that pervades the school… it's not in here…" She looked up to his face, feeling short now that she was calm… and so close to him. She hadn't really thought about the height difference until now. He was just an inch taller than Toshikazu, standing at an even six feet, but somehow he felt like a giant to her. "I… uhm…" She blushed, then looked away. "How… did you accomplish this?"

He blinked a little, and then caught sight of the blush. He was so tempted to call her out on it, but he let it be instead. No need to embarrass her, now was there? Instead, he smiled and answered her question. "I'm guessing it's from the protective symbols all around the room… and maybe the fact that my body is in the center. It's an energy focal point, so that might have something to do with it. Kinda like what you talked about as far as the ghost kids being Heavenly Host's cogs – I created all the symbols of protection, and with me being the centerpiece it channels and filters energy in here. Somewhat like an air purifier, I suppose."

"Did you mean to do this?"

"No, I just wanted to have a safe place to stay, so I assembled all of this. I never really noticed the difference in the air and the general vibe. I guess I just got used to both settings and it never really registered with me. That, or it wasn't as stark a contrast until after I already died." He finished as his gaze wandered to his own body, lying on the cot in the center of the protective symbol. He was actually fully encased inside a sleeping bag that had another pentagram on it, directly in the center of the larger surrounding one. At the same time, Sachiko's eyes fell upon this, and she couldn't help but feel drawn toward it.

"Roy… do you mind if I…?"

"You want to look at my corpse…?" He blinked, and she nodded, slowly stepping toward it. "…Sure, you can look, I guess… But I'd rather not be here when you do. I don't like the thought of seeing myself rotting." He said quietly, turning away and focusing, trying to figure out where the others were at.

After a moment, he locked on to where the groups were. One group of two, and the other group being comprised of three. This was going to be a numbers game, he had a feeling, but in numbers games you still had to be strategic. Assisting the group of three meant he'd have four of them safe, but that meant potentially losing two. Assisting the group of two risked the three, but three people probably had better odds of surviving longer than two would, and thus he'd have more time to help them.

"Alright. I'm heading out… If you see something start happening in this room, don't worry, it'll be me; I'm the only spirit that can get in and out of here it seems like. I'm gonna bring everyone here and try to merge the three versions of this room, at least long enough to get everyone into the same closed space. All you have to do is just stay put until I get everyone assembled. It shouldn't take too long. Just be patient."

Even as Roy spoke though, Sachiko was only half listening, having stepped inside the protective markings around the cot. Taking a knee, she unzipped the sleeping bag near the head, and when she pulled it back, her eyes went wide in shock. "Oh my God…" She whispered as she gazed upon what was inside. Quickly she turned to call out for Roy to wait… but he was already gone.

==X==X==X==

When Roy appeared in the second version of the closed spaces, he wasn't sure what to expect as far as who he was going to be trying to rescue. He also wasn't sure how many more times he could do this before he needed a good old fashioned recharge… which usually meant, for him, an equivalent of at least an hour or two of sleep. He always thought it was funny that a ghost needed to 'sleep', but he knew how to explain it in a way that made sense. It wasn't really sleep, so much as taking in the ambient energy and storing it. Doing that allowed him to use it later for other things. The strange part, truly strange part, was that he seemed to have to return to his body each time that he wanted to recharge. Of course, he supposed it wasn't that strange; most of the spirits here appeared next to their remains. Perhaps that was just par for the course in this place.

When he finally phased in fully, he saw neither of the mortals that he had come to assist, though he knew that this is right where they had been only a moment ago. Of course, a second later, a surprised shout from behind him and the phrase "Since when the fuck can they do that?!" clued him in on what had happened. He just wasn't facing the right direction. Turning around, he saw two young men, one bleach blonde and the other dark haired – he could only guess that they were Yoshiki and Satoshi, respectively. Satoshi, true to form, had jumped back when he suddenly appeared, and Yoshiki was rummaging through a duffel bag in a panic. What he finally brought out was another ofuda; just like the one that Sachiko had threatened him with earlier.

"Yoshiki," Roy began, catching the blonde's attention, "…that isn't gonna do anything, man, and I'm not here to harm you anyway, alright? Chillax, will ya?"

"Like hell!" The blonde shouted, "I'm not gonna relax just so you can surprise me! I know what you ghosts do! You cut off heads, rip out organs, mash eyeballs and cut out tongues! I'm not gonna let that fucking happen to me! _No way_!"

Roy sighed, shaking his head. "Y'know from what Yuki has told me, there was only one of them that did that stuff originally, and it just so happens to be the same person you came here to help, so… would you kindly stop your bitch fit and calm down? Please? Besides, if I was a malevolent spirit, I wouldn't bother with tricking you, I would just beat that blonde ass of yours until it couldn't move, and then maybe fuck your corpse for good measure." There was a mock evil grin on Roy's lips as he spoke, and Yoshiki visibly recoiled at the mental image.

Said evil look stayed just long enough for Roy to be amused enough to laugh, and once he did so, the façade fell apart. Yoshiki stared, the limp ofuda between his fingers looking about as useful as a wet noodle. Satoshi then leaned out from behind Yoshiki, holding his own barrage of ofudas in hand, and Roy just laughed all the harder, leaning on the wall. "You two are a riot, y'know that?" He finally said as he calmed down, though Yoshiki just scowled.

"You're not supposed to laugh at someone that's making a serious threat against your person! Spirit or not!" Yoshiki shouted, glowering at Roy.

"Oh come on…" Roy rolled his eyes, standing straight once more. "Those things only work on evil spirits. I'm not evil, thus it's funny to me that you'd try and use one on me. Don't take it personally… Christ. Fragile ego there, Yoshiki?" He smirked and looked at Satoshi, who not only held a bunch of ofudas, but actually had a couple hanging off of his person. "Oh, and by the way, you have the most _amazing_ backup. No _seriously_, he's _really_ something."

"He wasn't exactly my first choice. Unfortunately, it was randomized, and I got stuck with him." Yoshiki said flatly, and behind him Satoshi rubbed his chest a bit, as if he'd just been punched there.

"Well thanks a lot for the appreciation, Yoshiki…" Satoshi said lowly, and then Yoshiki's eyes widened just slightly.

"Hey, I don't mean you're not good to be paired with, but…"

"But what?" Satoshi said flatly.

"…I'd rather be with Ayumi, alright? Wouldn't you rather be with Naomi and Yuka?"

At that, a look of understanding crossed his face, and Satoshi smiled. "Yeah… but we'll be with the three of them and Sachiko soon enough, Yoshiki."

"Speaking of that…" Roy cut in, "That's actually why I'm here. I've already made sure that Sachiko is safe. I'm here to escort the two of you to the safe room." He paused for a moment, "I take it then that the group of three that I detect are Ayumi, Naomi, and Yuka?"

"Probably, if none of them were with Sachiko." Satoshi said, giving a small nod.

"So… you're _really_ here to help us then? There's actually a ghost in this place that isn't fucking insane and bloodthirsty? For real?" Yoshiki asked, head tilted just slightly. "I can't believe it…"

"Well ya best start believing it, blondie, because that's what I'm here for. Now, we better get moving before someone less… cordial… decides to come along. Shall we, lads?" Roy said, the last coming off with a slight bit of an Irish accent. He was a California boy, born and raised, by around Amelia he'd slipped into his Irish accent more than a few times. It'd gotten brushed up so much since she'd started going to P.M.A. that he fell into it pretty easily anymore.

"Yeah, probably a good plan…" Yoshiki nodded, tucking away the ofuda scroll in his hand, and then looking to Satoshi. "…You might wanna… just… y'know… oh never mind…" He shook his head and sighed, motioning toward all the ofudas that Satoshi held and had stuck on himself.

Roy chuckled as he watched the pair. Probably a good thing they hadn't been paired up the first time they were here… they'd probably have died without their respective girls around them. He forced himself not to laugh any harder when Satoshi began putting the ofudas away… and of course pulling them off his shirt and head. How that guy had managed to get them clinging all over his person, Roy had no idea, but it was funnier than hell to him. However, seeing them sticking to Satoshi gave him an idea.

"Hey… hold up a minute…" He said, and both young men looked at him. "…you might want to stick one of those on yourselves. It might mean the difference between being possessed by a vengeful spirit, and being able to resist."

The two looked at one another, and soon pulled out fresh ofudas, sticking them on their backs under their shirts, thus ensuring that they wouldn't just fall off… and ensuring their effectiveness by touching their skin.

"Alright… now let's get to the safe room."


End file.
